


safety net

by HyperchaoticStarlight (MVPYurio)



Series: i'll be around for you [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: ((or at the very least well in the know)), Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, M/M, Nightmares, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, Scienceshipping, Tony Stark Has A Heart, still trying to make scienceshipping a thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 06:59:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15189323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MVPYurio/pseuds/HyperchaoticStarlight
Summary: “You need Dr. Banner, sir,” said JARVIS.“Well, not specifically him, necessarily, but yeah, he is my favorite person to work with—”“If I may borrow a word from your vernacular, sir, that is bullshit.”Tony struggles in his lab, and Bruce... well, Bruce just struggles.





	safety net

**Author's Note:**

> This one takes place a few weeks after the last one and is loosely inspired by ["Sound in Color" (Gabriela Bee)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIreg-eSZSY) -Lia

Tony groaned loudly as he almost slammed his coffee mug against the table. “God damn it; why can’t I figure this out?! I’ve run  _ at least _ sixty combinations—”

“Sir, I’ve been keeping track of each combination you’ve run, and you’re in the middle of your forty-eighth,” JARVIS interrupted.

“Okay,  _ forty-seven,  _ and  _ none  _ of them work.” Tony sat down in his favorite swivel chair and spun himself around, rubbing his fingers into his forehead. “It’s all because I’m working alone,” he said. “I need someone to talk to. I need someone to bounce ideas off of. I need—”

“You need Dr. Banner, sir,” said JARVIS.

“Well, not  _ specifically  _ him, necessarily, but yeah, he is my favorite person to work with—”

“If I may borrow a word from your vernacular, sir, that is bullshit.”

“Aaaaand my AI just cursed for the first time. I feel disappointed, but at the same time proud. God, I sound like an irresponsible dad.”

“If I may, sir—”

“Not like I can stop you.” Tony crossed his fingers, praying for something to happen that would cut JARVIS off mid-sentence.

“Fair enough. I believe that you—”

A piercing shriek rang out from somewhere upstairs.

Fuck. Not that.

“Sir—”

“Intense and deeply embarrassing psychoanalysis is gonna have to wait, buddy,” Tony said as he jumped from his chair. “Although I’m sure this will probably give you extra material!”

“But of course, sir.”

Tony hated how, when he was panicking, time moved too fast and too slow at the same time. He felt his heart racing, felt the need to  _ move move move,  _ felt as though every second was a second wasted, but at the same time felt as though he was running through syrup, like he couldn’t reach—

“Bruce?” He tapped lightly on the door, head spinning, unsure as to when exactly he had arrived and how long it had taken him to calm down enough to not try and burst in.

Nothing. He waited ten seconds—well, he counted to ten, but it felt like an hour. “Okay, JARVIS, you try. Make sure you tell him—”

“Of course, sir.”

Through the door, he could just make out the conversation.

_ “Dr. Banner? Mr. Stark is outside the door. I believe he is worried about you and would like to come in. As usual, he is adamant that he will not force you into anything.” _

_ “What happens if I say yes?” _

_ “I cannot read Mr. Stark’s mind, sir. But I do witness approximately 93% of his overall activity, and approximately 98% percent of his interactions with you. By analyzing these incidents, I can predict, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3% at a 95% level of confidence, that he will ask you what you want and need, and then act on your answer to the best of his ability.” _

“Barely statistically significant, Jarv,” Tony muttered. “He might not be convinced.”

The lock clicked. Tony could see the lights come on through the crack in the door.

“Okay then,” said Tony. “Damn. Might tease him later for having such low standards.”

He turned the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. “Aw, jeez.”

Bruce was sitting on the bed, knees tucked close to his chest, entire body shaking.

“Hey,” he said shakily, trying to crack a smile.

“No need to bullshit me; you look like a hot mess and we both know it,” Tony said smoothly, striding over to the bed. “Seriously, though—what do you need right now?”

“I—” Bruce stared down at his hands. “God damn it.”

Tony looked down to see that Bruce’s hands were starting to turn green—as were a few other patches on his body.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Tony said reassuringly. “Do you want to?”

“You—you’re asking me?”

“Of course I am,” said Tony. “When I say that I won’t force you into anything—which I do, about once or twice a day—that includes this. I’ve seen the others playing favorites and frankly, it upsets me. It hurts me that people aren’t okay with you doing what you want.”

“What if I say yes?”

“Then I do everything in my power to help you not do any damage.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then I do everything in my power to help you not change.”

“You help me either way.”

“Now you’re getting it.” Tony smiled. “You’re my friend, Bruce. And to me, that means having your back, no matter what.”

“I—I don’t want to. I just want to sleep, like a normal person. God, I haven’t done that in two years.”

“Okay then—wait, did you just say two years?” Bruce nodded. “You were—you were green for two years? That’s—oh my God, the entire time you’ve been gone—”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. If that’s okay.”

“Of course,” said Tony. “Whatever you need.”

“Sleep. I need sleep. But I can’t sleep, because every time I close my eyes I—anyway.” Bruce sighed. “You don’t have to stay here. I’m sure you were doing something important—”

“If you qualify ‘nearly destroying coffee mug number thirty-five out of frustration’ as important, then yes, I was. Bruce, I needed to stop, and while this is undoubtedly the last way I would want to be interrupted—listen. I want to be here, okay?”

“You’re rambling,” said Bruce, cracking another smile. “Okay. Okay—” A few tears began rolling down. “Fuck.”

“Hey. I’ve got you.” Tony sat down on the bed.

“Is it stupid that I want a hug?”

“Only if it’s stupid that I was hoping you’d ask,” Tony replied. He pulled Bruce close, to the point that Bruce was nearly in his lap. “This good?”

Bruce’s entire body relaxed, just slightly. “Yeah. Yeah—shit, I might cry—I’m sorry—this is so embarrassing—”

“Let it out,” said Tony. “I’ve seen Barton naked. Can’t top that—theeere you go.” He pulled Bruce even closer just as he completely collapsed, sobbing into the space between Tony’s shoulder and his arc reactor.

“I’m here,” Tony said quietly. Spurred on by impulse, he began rocking Bruce in his arms ever so slightly. “I’m right here… just let it all out.”

Bruce  _ hated _ falling apart. Hated it. Every single part of it—the tears, the exhaustion, the lurking terror, the knowledge that  _ one false move  _ could unleash the Other Guy, whether or not he wanted it—and now, after what had happened—

Everything seemed to shatter, and Bruce felt like he was drowning, tumbling down eternally into a dark, cold ocean.

And then he felt something warm tighten around him, and a voice just above his head.

“Want a blanket?”

He tilted his head up to see that Tony was looking down at him.

“Sometimes being warm helps… well, it helps me.”

Bruce nodded.

“JARVIS!” Tony called. “Be a dear and get us a blanket, preferably of the soft and fluffy variety.”

“Eighty-seven percent of your blankets qualify as ‘of the soft and fluffy variety,’ sir.”

“Oh, just get me the forbidden one.”

“But sir, it is forbidden.”

“You have a forbidden blanket?” Bruce asked, wiping a few tears.

“Yes, I have a forbidden blanket. JARVIS—”

“You have repeatedly said that it is the most embarrassing piece of fabric you own, other than—”

“Other than the kilt, I know, but I  _ need _ that blanket.”

“But sir—”

“That’s an order, JARVIS. Forbidden blanket. Now.”

“As you wish, sir.”

“You have a kilt?”

“It’s a long story.”

“And I still don’t understand why the blanket is forbidden.”

“You’ll see,” Tony sighed. “Ah, here we go. Thank you, Dummy. You’re still a piece of crap. Well, voila.”

Bruce looked over to see a lavender blanket covered in pictures of kittens with little “meow” and “purr” speech bubbles. A few kittens were cuddling with each other.

“Barton gave it to me,” Tony explained. “Apparently Lila picked it out. It’s highly embarrassing, but it is also objectively the best blanket I have.” He wrapped the blanket around Bruce’s shoulders. “There we go.”

“This… is a very good blanket,” Bruce said flatly. “Uhhh…”

“By all means, cry into it,” said Tony. “Cover that hideous things with tears and snot and any other bodily fluids you want. Except piss. Please don’t piss on my blanket. But vomiting’s fine. I’ve gotten drunk and vomited into that blanket… a few times… yeah, and you’re not listening anymore.”

Bruce was falling apart, and he hated it.

He hated that he couldn’t quite hear what Tony was saying, that he had no control over his breaths or his heart rate or his tear ducts, that his head was spinning and he couldn’t think.

And then he felt it again, a rush to the senses, warmth, closeness, the softness of the forbidden blanket and then the strength of Tony’s arms around it. A safety net, catching him, grounding him, never letting him fall off the edge.

“Hey,” Tony said from above him, lightly touching the top of his head. Bruce could almost feel his focus  _ snap _ back into place, centering around the gentle pressure of Tony’s fingers. “Wanna know something cool that JARVIS can do?”

“Sure,” Bruce mumbled, shifting his head against Tony’s chest. He hadn’t known until now that Tony’s arc reactor gave off heat, a soft warmth that felt good against his cheek as he got closer.

“I just taught him a new trick, where he can sort of… scan your brain, almost, and figure out what sound would cheer you up, or calm you down, or whatever it is you need, and then play it,” said Tony. “I know it sounds a little creepy, but I’ve used it on myself before and it works wonders. I—”

“Won’t force me,” Bruce finished,  _ almost  _ laughing as he curled a little closer to Tony. “But I want to try it. It sounds… it sounds nice.”

“Alright,” said Tony. “You just want to relax and get to sleep, yeah?” Bruce nodded into Tony’s chest. “Okay, JARVIS, do your thing.”

Bruce shuddered. “It’s like something’s buzzing in my ear.”

“Yeah, I’m working on it. You could call it… a  _ bug _ in the algorithm.”

“That was terrible.”

“Oh, I know. JARVIS, anything?”

“Sir, it would appear that it would be in Dr. Banner’s best interest for you to continue talking, but at approximately two-thirds your current volume.”

“He’s not wrong,” said Bruce. “I uh… respond well to talking.”

“I’ve heard,” Tony muttered.

“What? Why does that bother—ohhh, Nat’s thing. That bothers you?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, it doesn’t work anymore. Thor tried it. Failed spectacularly. That seriously bothers you?”

“I said, maybe,” said Tony. “Fine. It does. Did, I guess, if it doesn’t work anymore.”

“You’re weirdly protective of me.”

“Wrong,” said Tony. “I’m  _ appropriately _ protective of your right to not have people picking sides all the time.”

Bruce shifted a little so he could hug Tony. “Well, I appreciate that, a lot, but seriously, Nat’s thing doesn’t work anymore, and you’ve already made it almost comically clear that you’re not gonna do any of that.” He looked up, meeting Tony’s eyes for just a moment. “I trust you, Tony. I trust you with my life, and with following your AI’s instructions on how to help me.”

Somewhere inside him, Tony felt a stirring. He pulled Bruce closer still. “In that case, let me not break your trust. What do you want me to talk about?”

“Tell me a story,” said Bruce. “Tell me something I missed.”

~~~~

Halfway through the story, Bruce fell asleep.

Tony wasn’t quite sure what to do. On the one hand, he didn’t want to wake Bruce up by moving him. Tony knew from experience that peaceful sleep was hard to come by, and one false move could ruin that.

But, on the other hand, their current position, while arguably functional now, would cross the line into intimacy should they continue for much longer, especially as Tony found himself closer and closer to falling asleep. Bruce falling asleep like this was one thing, but for both of them to wake up, still cuddled up against each other, was something else entirely, and something to which Bruce had most certainly not consented.

It was at that point that Tony’s choice became clear. Imperfect as he was, he tried his best to be a man of his word, and he had long promised Bruce his undying, unwavering respect.

Slowly, carefully, he laid Bruce down on the bed, picked up the forbidden blanket, and tucked him back in, laying the blanket on top of Bruce’s comforter. Bruce shifted a little but remained asleep.

Tony smoothed the hair away from Bruce’s face and gave a soft smile.

“Rest easy,” he said quietly, and he lingered for just a few seconds more before telling JARVIS to kill the lights and leaving the room.

**Author's Note:**

> This series is brought to you by Lia (she/her, HyperchaoticStarlight) and James (they/them, TheMagicMicrobus). We try to update about every 2 weeks. However, we are both students (Lia is in college; James is in high school), and so we cannot promise perfection.
> 
> Find Lia on Tumblr @ hyperchaoticstarlight, marvel-at-these-gays, scienceshipping, and tinytonys.  
> Find James on Tumblr @ themagicmicrobus and morethanhumantogether.
> 
> If you have ideas for this series, please feel free to reach out to one of us and we will consider putting it in!


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